Demolition shears employ relatively movable upper and lower jaws, which are structured and configured to cut through metal and other elements between the relatively movable jaws. Shears generally cut along one side of the relatively movable jaws while the workpiece is supported on a guide surface extending along the other side of the jaws.
These shears can be used to cut structures, often large metallic members (e.g., I-beams, channels, angles, sheets, plates, automobile and truck frames, etc.) into smaller or shorter pieces, which can be more easily handled and transported. Demolition shears are usually mounted on the boom structure of a hydraulically powered construction machine, such as a backhoe, and have a hydraulic cylinder attached to one or both jaws to move the jaws relative to each other. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,992,023, herein incorporated by reference.
The present invention provides an improvement over known demolition shears.